


The Weight of All I Don’t Know

by aries_antagonist



Series: Naruto AU Week 2021 Collection! [1]
Category: Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe, Apocalypse, I Did It I Talked About Tomatoes, IDK Should I content tag for grim outlook on future?, Implied Violence, I’m sorry, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Mild Language, Naruto AU Week 2021, Pining Uchiha Sasuke, Post-Apocalypse, Two Idiots at the End of the World, gayyy, light humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 15:34:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29298234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aries_antagonist/pseuds/aries_antagonist
Summary: “It had been 127 days since they’d seen another human, and he was certain that Naruto hadn’t stopped fucking talking for a single second of any of them.”-Written in a three hour blaze (pun painfully intended) for Day 1 of Naruto AU Week 2021!Theme: ApocolypseSasuNaru, Sasuke’s POV, Might Come Back To This Someday
Relationships: Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Series: Naruto AU Week 2021 Collection! [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2155266
Comments: 4
Kudos: 34
Collections: Naruto AU Week 2021





	The Weight of All I Don’t Know

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! Surprise! I’m partaking in this year’s Naruto AU Week! I’m so excited by all of the prompts, I couldn’t find a good place to stop this piece without leaving it as a giant cliffhanger. Even though I fully intend to get back to my longer work’s in progress...I can’t help but grow instantly attached to this little world of theirs. 
> 
> <3 <3 Let me know what you think if you’re so inclined, otherwise, thank you so much for just reading! 
> 
> Un Beta’d Don’t Harpoon Me Please <3

* * *

It had been 127 days since they’d seen another human, and he was certain that Naruto hadn’t stopped fucking talking for a single second of any of them. 

“Oi! What do you say we stop into the next town and see if we can’t reload on supplies? Ooh,” Naruto called from a few paces ahead of him, “maybe there’ll be some of the Chicken flavor Top Ramen…” 

Sasuke stopped listening, and didn’t bother responding. They both knew they had to stop and replenish their supplies, it wasn’t worth talking about. At least in his mind, clearly Naruto had other ideas. The blonde’s incessant chattering had become something of a white noise to Sasuke over the months, and he was at the very least grateful that the idiot had long stopped expecting a reply.

He adjusted the pack on his shoulders so he could reach up to adjust his mask. He let his thumb linger over the seal, relieved to see that his oxygen level was still at 80%. 

“Hey idiot, what’s your tank reading?” 

Naruto turned over his shoulder, sticking out his tongue and fogging up his own mask before checking. 

“I’m at 35. Shit,” the blonde responded, his vibrant mood deflating.

35%. By the rough calculations he’d made as time had gone on, that gave them about four hours before they’d need to replace it. They hadn’t gone through it nearly as fast when they were closer to the sea, but as they travelled inland and the scorched earth continued it’s permablaze, the air got significantly more toxic. 

He sighed, brushing a pesky lock of hair behind his ear. “C’mere, dumbass, I can give you some of mine. Should be enough to get us through till dark,” he called, shrugging his pack off and easing it onto the ground. A bead of sweat dripped uncomfortably under his mask and onto his nose, but he couldn’t afford to take it off to wipe at it right now. “Maybe if you weren’t constantly talking to yourself…” he muttered, his chiding falling on distracted ears, as usual.

Thick smoke billowed from the east, obstructing their view of anything further than a hundred feet ahead. It worked its way into everything. Especially, he thought, into his eyes. It had stung more when they’d first gotten here about two weeks ago, but he figured he’d never quite grow accustomed to it. 

This part of the trail was far enough from the actual fire that the temperature was bearable, at least. 

Naruto crouched before letting himself fall backwards with the weight of his pack, landing on the ground with a dusty thud. Even through the thick clear plastic of the face mask, his laugh rang brilliant. 

It was baffling to Sasuke, honestly. No matter what happened, the man covered in dirt and grime in front of him never lost that stupid optimism. They’d both...lost so much. He had, at first, figured it must be his way of avoiding. 

Avoiding the pain of all the deaths both known to them and inevitable. Avoiding the memories that demanded to be acknowledged with every step through their charred homeland. Avoiding the discomfort of only getting half breaths and being stuck maybe forever with a stranger and not knowing what tragedy they were going to come across next. 

Because, at this rate, there was certainly another one waiting to be discovered. 

But he’d seen Naruto at his worst by now. Brief moments where it would all catch up to him in the dark. He could tell, after four months without a break from each other, when the smile was pulled on- perhaps a remnant from how he used to hide. Back when there were people to hide from. 

The idiot really truly could find hope in the darkest of places.

Sasuke was coming to rely on it.

He took the loosened valve Naruto extended towards him and inserted it into the output of his own tank, watching the numbers slowly dwindle on his own reading.

“You’re receiving it fine?” he asked, glancing briefly at Naruto. He stifled his own smirk at the exaggerated look of concentration on his companions face.

“Mhm,” Naruto mumbled, gripping the end of the cord tighter than necessary. There’d been a...slip up… the last time they’d attempted this, almost leaving both of them without oxygen in the middle of a flare storm. Neither of them had been to blame, but Sasuke had definitely lashed out at the blonde in his panic. 

It had taken several convenience store raids from various abandoned towns to apologize in the only way that Naruto had accepted- instant noodles and Arizona Iced Teas.

A rattling from the water tower in the distance pulled him from his thoughts. Naruto must have heard it too, his head snapped in the direction of the tower. It was barely visible from the valley they stood in, but they both had known the area well before the fires. 

“What...the fuck is that?” Naruto asked, turning back to Sasuke with blue eyes wide. 

“I have no clue,” he admitted with a chill, “we better get moving.” 

They resealed the valve, and Sasuke let Naruto help him replace his own heavy pack. With the wind picking up, smoke reduced their vision even further. Sasuke squinted against the heavy smoke and debris to even make out Naruto’s ridiculous tufts of yellow hair, not five feet from him.

They walked quickly, in relative silence (Naruto had found that he could still hum to amuse himself when the air quality was too bad to talk), towards where they both remembered a small village existing before the fires. Sasuke hoped, for both of their sakes, that it was still at least partially standing.

Sasuke’s free hand found itself wrapped around the labradorite he’d tied to a cord around his neck some months ago. It had been his brother’s, lost in the wreckage of their family home. He didn’t dare wonder if, somehow, Itachi had-

“Haha, yes!” a delighted Naruto called from his left, accidentally breathing too heavily in the process. Sasuke shook his head as the blonde bent over in a coughing fit. He let his eyes follow along where the blonde pointed, over the hill.

There it was, a mostly intact village.

Naruto reached out and grabbed Sasuke’s shoulder for support as he returned to full height, the coughing fit having subsided. Sasuke turned a dark eye warily to his companion. The coughing had become much more intense in the past few days, and it had begun to rattle in the man’s chest. 

Naruto looked up into his eyes, a silent understanding passing between them. It wasn’t worth pushing the issue now, they’d already had their fight about Naruto’s declining health. 

Sasuke resignedly checked the display on his mask. 

“It’s...apparently noon right now, meet me on the south side of town in two hours,” he said, not leaving any room for objection as he looked back at the man. The color had returned to his face and he looked energetic enough, Sasuke supposed he’d been worrying too mu-

“You worry too much,” Naruto mumbled, reading his thoughts. He tended to be able to do that. 

Sasuke just widened his eyes in demand, “Two hours, idiot.” 

“Okay, okay...two hours,” the blonde acquiesced with a smile, “Make sure to grab any-“

“Ramen, I fucking know.”

  
  


* * *

Two hours and ten minutes later, Sasuke stood in the center of the empty road on the southern edge of the town. He, like he had expected, hadn’t seen another human. He had, however, run into a variety of forest dwelling creatures. He’d almost felt bad about trapping the deer in the auto body repair shop before killing it. 

But the two of them hadn’t had a decent portion of protein since they’d last found an intact jar of peanut butter (that Naruto unashamedly had licked the inside of) three weeks ago. And it had been good bow practice, there wasn’t much game on this side of the country since the fires had made their way here. 

He’d managed a makeshift canvas bag for the meat, knowing full well they’d have to eat it tonight or it’d go rancid in the heat. Or worse, it would attract something bigger. 

Besides the unexpected dinner, he’d also been fortunate to come across some basic refills for their med kit. 

He shifted his weight to the other foot. He was becoming tired earlier and earlier these days as the smoke carried on relentlessly, draining his stamina. 

“Where is Naruto?” he thought in vague annoyance. He hoped the idiot had managed to find replacement tanks for the two of them.

The smoke carried small embers across his vision, and he felt a sense of dread creep into his spine. The fires were getting closer. And they still had no fucking idea what could have rattled the water tower, which, was their next destination if Naruto would ju-

“Heheh, hey bastard,” Naruto said, making his way slowly up the path. His form became visible once he was within a few feet of Sasuke, and he felt the tension leave his shoulders when he saw several oxygen tanks strapped to the man’s side.

“Tch. I said two hours,” he replied, unable to keep some of the warmth from his voice. He told himself that it was the relief of having more oxygen tanks.

“Yeahhhh yeah,” Naruto replied. Sasuke couldn’t help from noting the slight wheeze to his tone as he continued, “Well, I had to stop because I found...well...hmm...I’ll keep it a surprise till...later.”

Sasuke eyed him suspiciously. 

“I’m not telling you, even if you give me your creepy look,” Naruto whined, sticking his tongue out again in the mask. 

“Gross,” Sasuke said. “I just saw embers, let’s get moving. We can set up a shelter under the water tower and climb it in the morning.”

They discussed their respective hauls quietly as they walked, trying to conserve the oxygen in the tanks. It was slow going, weighed down by the extra tanks and food, but it was a satisfying weight. They would be okay for the next couple of weeks. Sasuke let Naruto’s shoulder brush his as they walked. 

“So we can hear each other better,” he thought to himself. It wasn’t because he felt a desperate need to keep his companion close. It wasn’t because some part of him was convinced that if Naruto was near, that everything would turn out alright. It wasn’t the sheer thrill that went through his body every time he’d feel a bead of sweat drip onto his shoulder and realize it wasn’t his own but that of the bronzed, kind, rambunctious man he’d been sentenced to eternity in this hell-fire with. 

It wasn’t any of those things, he told himself.

He felt the noisy blonde grow uncharacteristically quiet as the water tower became visible in the smog. The tank itself sat above ominous spires, Sasuke half expected it to turn in it’s supports and look down on them, a glowing singular iris. He shook his head, the smoke must be affecting his thoughts. 

Both of them tensed in alert as they watched out for whatever had caused the noise to echo through the valley earlier in the day. They’d have just rerouted along towards the shore again, but it was the only fresh water available for miles. Even the town had been ransacked for the available water before being deserted. 

Glowing embers mixed with fluttering ash, a deadly snowstorm before them. There was no noise other than the rush of wind from the fires, not more than five or six miles away by Sasuke’s rough calculations. 

They’d had to learn on the go. It had become all the more urgent to be able to estimate their fire’s distance and trajectory after the violent death of their third comrade, all 127 days prior. He couldn’t stop counting the days. Sakura’s death had wrecked the both of them in their own ways. 

But despite all of the rugged math and maps he’d drawn, he still couldn’t quite nail it down. It was as if the fire’s themselves were-

“Damn, it’s like the fire has a mind of its own,” Naruto mumbled. 

“Can you quit doing that?” Sasuke snapped in a whisper.

Naruto turned to him, puzzled, “Doing what?”

Sasuke shut his eyes, a pantomimed sigh when he couldn’t actually afford to expend the oxygen. “Never mind,” he said, lowering his pack once more to the ground and re-strapping the tank to his back. “We’re here, let's set up camp.”

Naruto nodded in agreement, and set to work. They’d fallen into something of a routine in their time together. Naruto was largely in charge of setting up the canvas sheets and rice paper filters, a makeshift smoke screen for sleeping. That left Sasuke to prepare something resemblant of a meal and scout the area for any sign of human or beast. 

He allowed his mind to wander as he stalked off with the bag of meat, towards a small and stagnant brush fire on the other side of the hill. 

“At least we don’t have to start our own anymore,” he thought wryly. 

Sasuke wondered what Naruto must have been like before the Fall. If he had been even more rambunctious than he was now, or if the chaos of their sudden new world had thrown his personality for a loop as well. 

He knew his own personality had undertaken quite the transformation in the aftermath of everything. His brother would have a fucking field day if he heard Sasuke crack jokes like he’d been known to recently. Maybe it was just the influence of the blonde idiot. Maybe some part of him that didn’t mourn the loss of everything else felt a small bit of freedom in this wasteland.

He pushed down the immense guilt that came with the thought as he crouched over the small fire, spearing previously cut pieces of the lean meat with one of his steel arrows. 

As he grilled, he felt a small bit of the ominous sensation he’d had previously fade away. Perhaps it had all been an overreaction. Naruto had made it quite clear that Sasuke worried too much. Maybe, for once, the man had been right about something.

The day turned to night in the most symbolic of senses these days. When the smoke and ash was this thick, it all but blocked out the sunlight on the worst of days. 

But then there would be moments like this, with the right direction of the wind and maybe just a blessing from whatever deity still dared look down upon them. The land would cool slightly and the dark sky would open up and a brilliant star or two would peak through. A promise that there was something else out there. 

Finishing his task with a satisfied wipe of his brow, he tossed the final piece from it’s makeshift skewer back into the bag and headed back towards camp. When he crested the hill, he could just make out the blonde sitting wide legged, leaning back onto both hands in front of their shelter. 

There it was again, the wracking waves of guilt whenever his body had the nerve to find a flicker of joy. He pushed it down.

“Did you get-“ 

Naruto cut him off with a toss, the bandana he’d been about to ask for hitting the front of his mask with a wet slap. 

“...Thanks.” 

He replaced the mask with the dampened bandana, now that the air quality didn’t seem dead set on roasting their lungs. It was as close to a breath of fresh air either of them would be likely to get for a while, and he savored it quietly. 

A bouncing of a muscled leg caught his attention in the dim, and he quirked an eyebrow at the blonde he’d sat down in front of. “...Yes?” he asked snarkily, tossing a re-skewered bundle of grilled venison into the outstretched hands of the man.

“The surprise!” Naruto half-shouted, as if Sasuke had any fucking clue what he was talking about. 

Sasuke didn’t respond, waiting for the man to continue as he knew he would while greedily biting into his own skewered meal. 

Naruto sighed before continuing, his hands shuffling around in the dark, “I told you I...never mind, look what I found!” He produced a bottle of what appeared to be shitty whiskey from behind him. Sasuke nodded in approval, it had been a long time since they’d found alcohol of any kind. 

“Andddddd…” Naruto paused dramatically, almost pulling another exasperated sigh from Sasuke. “These!”

And Sasuke almost cried. He wouldn’t, of course, the emotion having long passed him. After all the destruction he’d seen, he just couldn’t allow himself to tear up at a fucking…

Naruto held out two palm-sized ruby red tomatoes in his hands, as if he were holding a pile of pirate treasure, with gold jewelry dripping from his fingers. 

They were just tomatoes. But…they were alive. Fresh. And a warm memory of home that had just not been within his grasp. 

He didn’t need to say anything, he could see the triumphant smile on the man's face as he leaned closer to slice one. Sasuke let his hand be pulled gently from his lap, Naruto spreading open his palm to lay a dripping slice onto chapped skin. He watched as his companion dragged the knife cleanly through the bursting center of the fruit with his thumb, thick slices accumulating in his palm.

“Where did you…” Sasuke trailed off, searching the man’s eyes instead.

Naruto’s smile became a touch more subdued, something almost fond. “Someone had started an indoor garden...before they,” he cut himself off with a small cough, “…well… anyways, there were a couple other plants still alive in there but I could only recognize the tomatoes so I took a couple.”

“Hn,” he replied, hoping Naruto could sense the gratitude without him having to say anything. He wasn’t sure if he could come up with words at the moment. Yet again, the man Fate had thrown him together with managed to find not one but two shining, ripe orbs of hope.

He didn’t know how he’d ever repay him, and he hoped that he’d have plenty of time to figure it out.

They passed the bottle between them intermittently as they ate, tucking the food underneath their dampened bandanas. The night cooled significantly more than usual, by his guess the temperature lingered at a tolerable seventy degrees. Of course, he acknowledged that the growing influence of the liquor in his body was likely affecting his calculations. 

His limbs felt longer, relaxed and limp. He felt sunken into the dry earth beneath them, occasionally even laughing at some stupid remark Naruto would make as they ate. 

“You know what’s the worst part about all of this?” Naruto paused, slipping the last of his own tomato slices into his mouth. 

“Hn...besides having to listen to you run your mouth 24/7?” Sasuke replied, leaning back onto his palms. He watched a stray puff of smoke swirl around some of the stars above him. 

“Bastard...you! Ugh,” Naruto laughed, “no! The worst part is being dirty all the fucking time.” The blonde tilted his head back with a dry laugh. 

Sasuke brushed at the embers creeping along his palms. No, wait...those weren’t embers. He felt his body heat as he watched the man’s throat, exposed to the dim starlight. The liquor had crept into all parts of his rational thought before he’d had a chance to slow down. 

He stood, not thinking. Just allowing his body to move. He felt Naruto’s quizzical gaze as he dug purposefully through the top of his own pack, producing one of their canteens and an old but mostly clean shirt from the top. He moved slowly back towards the blonde, before motioning for him to stand with a flick of his chin. Naruto obeyed, confusion still playing across his perfect face.

“Take off your shirt,” he instructed. 

“Wait wha-“ Naruto stammered, his voice slurring ever so slightly, backing away as his face reddened. 

Sasuke laughed, “Just trust me, dumbass.” Though, whether he was speaking to Naruto or himself, he had absolutely no idea. 

Naruto squinted his red-rimmed eyes in blatant skepticism, though he obliged, slowly lifting the battered sleeveless shirt from his glistening torso. Sasuke swallowed, entirely unsure of what the fuck he was doing. He hoped that whomever, whatever, had taken over control of his actions continued to do so, because he sure as fuck would perish if they relinquished command at this moment. 

“Turn around,” it came out as a whisper, a plea almost. The air buzzed, alive with... **something**. 

He couldn’t tear his eyes from the man’s rippling back as he turned away. Experience had taught him to memorize every single precious moment, and Naruto had given him plenty. He was grateful he didn’t have to look away, sending a silent thank you to the universe as he moved closer. 

He loosed the bandana’s knot at the back of Naruto’s skull, gently tugging it free from his face and setting it aside. 

Careful to pour the lukewarm water onto the shirt first, he tried to steady his trembling hand as he moved it onto a broad shoulder. He felt the man shudder under his palm, the skin sparkling as he moved over it slowly with the dampened shirt. 

Naruto remained miraculously silent as Sasuke moved the balled-up shirt over the dirt and sweat that had layered over the mans’ skin. He couldn’t be sure who’s breathing hitched as he made his way across the ridge of Naruto’s neck, he was so close. 

When had he gotten closer?

Fuck the fires, there was a blaze in his eyes. An all consuming spark. He hungered to take in every minute arc in the curves between his trembling companion’s visible ridges of the spine. His hand moved reverently, small circles across Naruto’s back. 

He acknowledged just how out of control he was, his breath caught in his throat. Without the cover of dark, he was sure his face glowed as red as the tomatoes Naruto had found. His own chest was all but pressed up against the man's back as he reached around, fingers trailing daringly along the severe jawline, pulling Naruto’s chin up slightly.

Replacing the shirt with the canteen, he levered it over Naruto’s wild locks, careful to pour as little as he could onto his scalp. 

He heard, no felt, Naruto breath out a silent yelp, as the water dripped onto the front of his hairline. Sasuke tried to regulate his breath, running the pads of his fingers through vibrant blonde hair, over his scalp, a gentle caress of his forehead. Naruto’s head fell backwards, limply, onto Sasuke’s shoulder as his ministrations continued. 

He let his lips pull into a small smile at his inverted view of the man’s face. Eyes shut, smile stretched over wide cheekbones. In the dark, a pale blue smattering of starlight accentuated the faded whisker-like scars at the tops of Naruto’s cheeks. Another mystery. His eyes rolled languidly over the contented, flushed face against his body. 

Over the broad arc of Naruto’s nose, past shimmering blonde eyelashes and lingering on the plush lips pulled taught in that blinding grin.

“He is so beautiful,” Sasuke allowed himself to think. 

Surely, after everything they’d gone through, the universe would allow him this. Even if it never went anywhere, if they just stayed like this in the brief reprieve from the flame. If he could just be the reason for this man’s smile, that would be enough to make up for everything. That would be enough. 


End file.
